CHAPTER 520: CHAPTER 519 ROBBERY

The Auspicious Beast hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "The traveler pleaded repeatedly, but the boatman remained unyielding. I witnessed all of this, but since I was deep within the mountains, I was unable to lend a helping hand. In the end, the traveler proposed a deal."

The Auspicious Beast silently raised his head and, with lowered eyelids, said, "He said that within the mountains, there was a half-human, half-ape creature that could speak human language, and it was that creature that had saved him. If the boatman would provide him with some food, he was willing to show the boatman the way. The boatman could then lead people up the mountain to capture the strange beast. They could skin it for its fur, take its meat to sell at the market, or confine it in a cage and sell it to the nobility as a rare and exotic creature for their amusement. He would not take a single cent of the earnings, leaving all the profit for the boatman."

Li Ang sat quietly on the carapace of the Burrowing Worm, simply listening without offering an opinion.

The Auspicious Beast slowly lifted his eyelids. In the gloom, his eyes emitted a faint, dismal green glow.

"I ’heard’ his words. Deep inside me, an emotion I had never experienced before—anger—arose. My heart filled with hatred, and I cursed him. I felt a special power surge within me, bridging the vast distance to affect him. Through some mystical connection, I saw blood begin to flow from his seven orifices. His face twisted and deformed with intense fear. All his bones shattered, one after another, and his upper and lower torso folded like brittle wood, slowly collapsing in on themselves..."

The Auspicious Beast said softly, "I killed him, just as I had killed the wild beasts in the forest that had tried to harm me."

Li Ang still did not comment, merely acting as a listener, continuing to direct the Burrowing Worm on its way.

"The terrified boatman, believing the traveler had died from a curse, immediately sought out high monks in the temple upon disembarking," the Auspicious Beast said indifferently. "Those monks somehow deceived my premonition. With the officers of Annam, they surrounded the mountain I was on, captured me, and put me in a cage, preparing to present me to the Emperor of the Central Plains. This is my life story."

Li Ang smacked his lips. "What do you think will happen to you if you’re taken to the capital?"

"I do not know."

The Auspicious Beast shook his head. "I am also unsure of the specific abilities I possess or their full extent. Perhaps I could use my Divination Skill to serve as a Fortune teller or an Advisor in the imperial court? Or, if my predictions proved inaccurate, I might no longer be considered an Auspicious Beast and could end up as material for a Warlock’s alchemical concoctions?"

Speaking of his future, there was no particular expression on the Auspicious Beast’s face. "By the way, why have you abducted me? What do you want me to do?"

"That is..."

Li Ang thought for a moment. "At the moment, it’s not clear yet."

The Auspicious Beast said in surprise, "You don’t know, and yet you abducted me?"

"The lady boss of the bath center told me it’s better to be a chicken’s head than a phoenix’s tail. Even if it’s robbery, you should aim to be the King of Robbers," Li Ang said seriously. "So many people are after you, which proves you’re valuable. Naturally, it’s better to grab you first and discuss things later."

Obviously, that sentence was fake. According to Scholar Zhu’s notes, the half-human, half-ape Auspicious Beast should be the key factor to entering the third layer of the Shengnan King’s Dream; it’s always right to take hold of it.

The Auspicious Beast was somewhat speechless at Li Ang’s reply. He looked around the tunnel and asked, "Did you dig this tunnel?"

"Yes."

"How did you do it?"

The Auspicious Beast asked curiously, "A tunnel of this scale would take even demons naturally adept at digging years, if not decades, to excavate. Not to mention the need to avoid the watchful eyes of the Martial Guards on the surface."

"Hah."

Li Ang chuckled, remaining silent.

In the past few days, he had been dashing around the Southern Domain with tireless energy, helping the common people and resolving abnormal incidents. He left behind the name of the Taoist priest Xi Menzi, collecting a substantial amount of Power of Faith and filling the Swamp God Power’s energy bar nearly to bursting. Then, just as he had done with individuals like Wu Hu and Scholar Xiao of Goose City, Li Ang used the Swamp God Power and the Biological Template to silently assimilate some of Lvzhou’s White Lotus Sect members, like Helmsman Song Jie, Deputy Helmsman Bai Yongyan, and others. Afterward, using Divine Power to melt the earth beneath the various White Lotus Cult strongholds, and in conjunction with the Burrowing Worm, he constructed a vast network of underground tunnels.

The Power of Faith system has its advantages. Even if the energy in the bar is depleted, as long as his fame endured and stories about him continued to be told and praised, a continuous stream of Power of Faith would be generated, gathering into his Divine Mark.

It’s just a pity that this world’s means of transportation and communication are still too primitive. If this were the real world, going from obscurity to viral fame, known by everyone, would take less than a day.

Seeing that Li Ang did not speak further, the Auspicious Beast also tactfully refrained from asking more. He sat in the cage, silently watching the tunnel scenery recede behind them, then suddenly spoke, "Someone is coming down into the tunnel."

Li Ang did not turn his head. "Yeah."

"It’s not that eunuch. It’s people from the White Lotus Cult."

The Auspicious Beast added, "They’re regular members of the White Lotus Cult. One of them is very strong."

"I know. I’m the one who let them down here."

The Auspicious Beast frowned. "Why?"

"If I don’t let them down here," Li Ang said indifferently, "how else can I catch them all in one fell swoop?"

Battle cries filled the air. Torchlight illuminated the sky, rendering it as bright as day. Hoofbeats thundered, and arrows rained down. Dense iron arrowheads smashed onto the cobblestone streets, the harsh din causing the pale-faced commoners hiding in cellars on either side to tremble in fear.

These were the Martial Guard troops, hunting down members of the White Lotus Cult.